Twins Bats Booming Again in 12-4 Win

Kennys Vargas drove in a career-high five runs, Joe Mauer had three RBIs and Yohan Pino won his first start in more than a month as the Minnesota Twins beat the Detroit Tigers 12-4 on Saturday in the first game of a day-night doubleheader.

Vargas went 2 for 4 with two doubles and a sacrifice fly. The rookie has 22 RBIs in his first 21 major league games since making his debut on Aug. 1.

The Twins scored seven runs off starter Buck Farmer (0-1), who lasted just 1 1-3 innings and ran his ERA to 15.63 in his second career start. A day after watching Tigers pitchers give up 20 runs on a combined 214 pitches, Farmer allowed six runs in the second as the Twins batted around for the third time in nine innings.

Vargas' double off Pat McCoy scored Mauer and made it 7-1, giving Pino (2-5) a nice cushion. Pino worked five innings, allowing four runs - one earned - and six hits while striking out six.

The Tigers scored three unearned runs off Pino in the fifth after a bad throw by second baseman Brian Dozier allowed Nick Castellanos to reach second. Ian Kinsler, Ezequiel Carrera and Miguel Cabrera all singled to pull Detroit to 9-4.

Vargas' three-run double in the seventh off reliever Kyle Lobstein made it 12-4.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Tigers: Manager Brad Ausmus said utility man Don Kelly still needs treatment for a shoulder injury from April when he slammed into a wall during a road trip in San Diego. Had it not been for that, Ausmus said Kelly might have been called on to relieve SS Andrew Romine on the mound during Friday night's 20-6 loss. Ausmus said Romine, who threw 27 pitches, was about one hitter from being relieved by C Bryan Holaday. "I texted Romine this morning because he's in the lineup and I wanted to make sure he could pick his arm up before I put him at shortstop," Ausmus said.

UP NEXT

Justin Verlander (10-11) and the Tigers both try to snap two-game losing streaks in the second game of the doubleheader. Verlander was 4-0 in his last six starts at Target Field. Twins starter Trevor May (0-2) tries for his first major league victory in his third career start.

SLEEPLESS IN MINNESOTA

Twins OF Oswaldo Arcia spent Friday night at the hospital with his wife and sick newborn son. "Everything's fine. The baby's fine," said manager Ron Gardenhire, who sat Arcia in the first game. "He's a little gassed right now. He got about less than an hour of sleep last night."

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Minnesota Twins' Brian Dozier, left, and Jordan Schafer celebrate after they scored on a Joe Mauer double off Detroit Tigers pitcher Buck Farmer in the second inning.